Circle Indochine 16 Days — Self-Launched: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos

Fly into Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and take the Airport Rail Link into town (about £1.20 to Phaya Thai, then BTS Skytrain) or a metered taxi/bolt for around £8-10. Base yourself in a hostel or budget hotel near Phaya Thai, Asok or Khao San. Spend the afternoon walking off jet lag: Wat Saket (Golden Mount) for the sunset view, then dinner at a street-food stall in Chinatown (Yaowarat) for £3-5.

🚌Airport Rail Link from BKK (~£1.20) + BTS/walk

🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Sukhumvit/Phaya Thai (£10-16)

• →Airport Rail Link + BTS into central Bangkok
• →Self-guided walk: Golden Mount, Chinatown street food

Book a self-guided/join-in day tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (roughly £28-40) covering the Mae Klong Railway Market (Rom Hoop), the long-tail boat to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, and Wat Traimit, Wat Pho and Wat Benjamabophit. Cheaper DIY option: minivan or bus from Bangkok's Sai Tai Mai terminal to Damnoen Saduak (~£3) and to Mae Klong (~£2.50), then local boats — but the organised join-in tour saves a lot of fiddly transfers. Wear long trousers/shoulders for temples.

🚌Join-in day tour minivan (~£30 incl. entries) or public minivans DIY

🛏Same Bangkok hostel/budget hotel (£10-16)

• →Mae Klong Railway Market
• →Damnoen Saduak Floating Market long-tail boat
• →Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha)
• →Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
• →Wat Benjamabophit (Marble Temple)

Fly Bangkok to Siem Reap on a low-cost carrier (AirAsia/Thai Vietjet/Thai Smile, roughly £45-65 one way; book 3-6 weeks out). Alternative cheap route: bus Bangkok → Poipet border → shared taxi to Siem Reap (£15-20, 9-10 hrs) — only if you have the time and patience. Get a Cambodian e-visa in advance (~£26) to skip border hassle. Arrive, check into a guesthouse near Pub Street/Old Market, and wander the night market for dinner.

🚌Flight Bangkok–Siem Reap (~£55); tuk-tuk from airport ~£4

🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Old Market, Siem Reap (£8-14)

• →Low-cost flight to Siem Reap
• →Evening walk: Old Market & Pub Street night market

Buy a 1-day Angkor pass (~£30) and rent a tuk-tuk driver for the day (about £15-18, split between travellers — easy to find at any guesthouse). Do the classic circuit: Angkor Thom's South Gate, Bayon, the Royal Enclosure and Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Ta Prohm and finish with Angkor Wat (or a sunrise start). A join-in guided tour via GetYourGuide runs ~£35-50 including pass — good value if you want context. Bring water, sun protection and covered shoulders.

🚌Shared tuk-tuk with driver for the day (~£7 p/p if split two ways)

🛏Same Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel (£8-14)

• →Angkor Thom & Bayon
• →Terrace of the Elephants & Leper King
• →Ta Prohm
• →Angkor Wat

Book a half-day Tonle Sap floating village trip locally (guesthouse-arranged, £12-18 including boat) to Kompong Khleang — less touristy than Chong Kneas. In the afternoon cycle or tuk-tuk out to the Artisans Angkor silk farm (free entry, ~£7 tuk-tuk return) and the quiet Western Baray reservoir. Rent a bike for ~£2/day if you prefer to pedal.

🚌Local tuk-tuk / rented bicycle (~£8)

🛏Same Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel (£8-14)

• →Tonle Sap floating village boat trip
• →Artisans Angkor silk farm
• →Western Baray by bicycle

Fly Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City (roughly £55-80, ~1 hr) with Cambodia Angkor Air / Vietjet. Cheap overland version: bus Siem Reap → Phnom Penh (£8-12, 6 hrs), overnight bus Phnom Penh → HCMC (£12-15) arriving the next morning — saves a night's accommodation. Sort your Vietnam e-visa in advance (~£20). Settle into a hostel in District 1 and eat your way down Bui Vien and the Ben Thanh night food stalls.

🚌Flight (~£65); Grab/taxi from SGN ~£5

🛏Hostel/budget hotel District 1, HCMC (£10-16)

• →Flight to Ho Chi Minh City
• →Evening Street food crawl, District 1

Join a small-group Mekong Delta day tour from HCMC via Klook/GetYourGuide or a District 1 travel agent (~£18-30). Typical inclusions: Vinh Trang Pagoda, boat ride on the Mekong, Ben Tre coconut island, a local family home with tropical fruit, honey tea and honey wine, a traditional music performance, and a coconut-candy workshop. Ask for a small-group rather than big-bus departure — better value for the same £. Return to HCMC in the evening.

🚌Included in join-in day tour (~£25)

🛏Same HCMC hostel/budget hotel (£10-16)

• →Vinh Trang Pagoda
• →Mekong River boat trip
• →Coconut island, Ben Tre
• →Local family visit with fruit & honey tasting
• →Traditional Vietnamese music performance

Take a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels join-in tour (~£15-22 including transport and guide) — morning departures are cooler. Crawl a section of the tunnels, try manioc with salt and sugar, and optionally fire a few rounds at the adjacent shooting range (charged per bullet, ~£1 each). Back in HCMC by early afternoon — use the time for the War Remnants Museum (~£1.50) or the Reunification Palace.

🚌Included in join-in tour (~£18)

🛏Same HCMC hostel/budget hotel (£10-16)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels guided visit
• →Manioc tasting
• →Optional shooting range
• →War Remnants Museum (afternoon)

Fly HCMC to Hanoi with Vietjet/Bamboo (~£35-55, 2 hrs) — cheap and quick. Overland purists can take the Reunification Express (~£30-45 in a soft sleeper, 30+ hrs) but it eats a full day. Arrive Hanoi, stay in the Old Quarter, and orientate with a free walking tour (tip-based) or a self-guided loop of Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 streets. Bia hoi corner for a £0.30 beer.

🚌Flight (~£45); Grab from Noi Bai ~£8

🛏Hostel/budget hotel Old Quarter, Hanoi (£9-15)

• →Flight to Hanoi
• →Old Quarter wander
• →Hoan Kiem Lake self-guided walk

Do it as a day trip from Hanoi or, better, stay overnight in Tam Coc. Take a Limousine minivan Hanoi → Tam Coc (~£7-9, 2 hrs), then a join-in tour or DIY: Hoa Lu's Dinh and Le dynasty temples (entry ~£1.50), the rowing boat through Tam Coc's limestone caves (~£10, 2 hrs — tip the rower a couple of pounds), and a bike loop to Bich Dong pagoda (~£1.50 rental). Overnight in Tam Coc village for the rice-paddy views.

🚌Limousine minivan Hanoi–Tam Coc (~£8) + bike hire

🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Tam Coc village (£8-13)

• →Hoa Lu ancient capital temples
• →Tam Coc boat trip through caves
• →Cycling to Bich Dong village
• →Sunset over the karst valleys

Transfer Tam Coc → Hanoi or straight to Halong (~£10-15 shared limousine, 2.5-3.5 hrs) and board a budget overnight junk cruise. Book direct with a mid-range operator (e.g. a 1-night Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise via Klook/GetYourGuide, roughly £90-130 per person incl. all meals, kayaking, cabin and transfers). Lan Ha Bay is quieter than Halong proper. Sail past limestone pinnacles, kayak into hidden lagoons and eat a seafood dinner on deck.

🚌Shared limousine minivan to Halong (~£12); transfers usually included in cruise

🛏Overnight cabin on a budget/mid-range junk boat (£90-130 incl. meals)

• →Junk boat cruise on Halong/Lan Ha Bay
• →Sea kayaking
• →Sunset on deck
• →Seafood dinner aboard

Optional sunrise tai chi on the sundeck, then a cave visit (Sung Sot or Trung Trang) with stalactites and stalagmites, brunch on board and the boat back to the pier. Shared minivan back to Hanoi (~£10-12, 3 hrs). Evening in the Old Quarter: bia hoi, bun cha and a water puppet show if you fancy it (~£3-4).

🚌Shared minivan Halong–Hanoi (~£11)

🛏Hostel/budget hotel Old Quarter, Hanoi (£9-15)

• →Tai chi at sunrise
• →Halong cave exploration
• →Return to Hanoi, Old Quarter evening

Fly Hanoi to Luang Prabang with Vietnam Airlines or Lao Airlines (~£90-130, 1h40; book early — it's the priciest flight on the route). Budget alternative is 24+ hrs of buses via Dien Bien Phu / the Lao border, which rarely saves enough to be worth it on a 16-day trip. Laos visa on arrival for most Western passports (~£30-35, USD cash preferred; e-visa available online). Settle into a guesthouse in the old town peninsula and catch sunset over the Mekong.

🚌Flight Hanoi–Luang Prabang (~£110); tuk-tuk from airport ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town (£10-18)

• →Flight to Luang Prabang
• →Mekong riverside sunset walk

Optional 5:30am start to watch (or quietly participate in) the morning alms-giving to monks — buy sticky rice from a street vendor and keep a respectful distance with your camera. Then hire a bicycle (~£2) or take a tuk-tuk: Wat Sene and Wat Xiengthong, the Hmong village of Ban Ouay and Lao Loum village of Ban Ou, then share a songthaew to Kuang Si Waterfall (~£12-15 return, or ~£4 seat in a shared truck) for swimming and forest trails. On the way back stop at Ban Xangkhong for silk weaving and saa paper, and finish with sunset at Wat Siphouthabath (Mount Phousi).

🚌Bicycle hire (~£2) + shared songthaew to Kuang Si (~£5)

🛏Same Luang Prabang guesthouse (£10-18)

• →Morning alms-giving ritual (optional)
• →Wat Sene & Wat Xiengthong
• →Ban Ouay and Ban Ou villages
• →Kuang Si Waterfall swim
• →Ban Xangkhong silk and saa paper weaving
• →Sunset at Wat Siphouthabath / Mount Phousi

Morning at the Luang Prabang morning market or a slow coffee by the Mekong, then fly Luang Prabang → Bangkok (~£70-110, 2 hrs, often via Vientiane — check AirAsia/Thai Airways). Check back into a Bangkok budget hotel, and use the evening for anything you missed: a rooftop bar, Chatuchak if it's a weekend, or a final pad thai and massage (~£8).

🚌Flight Luang Prabang–Bangkok (~£90); Airport Rail Link ~£1.20

🛏Hostel/budget hotel Bangkok (£10-16)

• →Morning market wander
• →Flight to Bangkok
• →Final Bangkok evening & massage

Depending on your flight time, squeeze in a last breakfast or a quick temple visit, then take the Airport Rail Link or a metered taxi to Suvarnabhumi for your flight home. Build in 3 hours for international check-in.

🚌Airport Rail Link (~£1.20) or taxi (~£8)

🛏—

• →Transfer to Suvarnabhumi Airport
• →Departure